Tip for insertion tool



Oct. 18, 1966 M. E. ROPER 3,279,044

TIP FOR INSERTION TOOL Filed D60. 14, 1964 FIG. 2

75 nu 33 l so 77 ss 6 INVENTOR Max E. Roper BY ATTYS.

United States Patent 3,279,044 TIP FOR INSERTION TOOL Max E. Roper, 3 S. Ironwood Drive, Glen Ellyn, Ill. Filed Dec. 14, 1964, Ser. No. 417,902 1 Claim. (Cl. 29-206) This invention relates to tools for inserting a terminal on the end of a wire into a receptacle therefor, and particularly to an improved tip for holding the terminal during the inserting thereof into the receptacle.

The present invention relates to an improvement in insertion tools of the manually operated and spring actuated impact type such as that set forth in United States Letters Patent No. 2,774,133, granted December 18, 1956, to Gilbert E. Sitz.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide an improved tool for inserting a terminal of the tapered-end type into an associated receptacle, which improved tool more surely holds the terminal during the manipulation of the insertion tool.

In connection with the foregoing object, it is another object of the present invention to provide an improved tool of the type set forth which permits the individual worker substantially to increase his production, i.e., the number of terminals that can be successfully inserted in the associated receptacles per unit of time.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tip for an insertion tool of the type set forth wherein the tip comprises a shank having at its outer end a terminal receiving longitudinal recess extending to an end wall thereon and a slot extending through the end wall connecting with the recess and providing terminal engaging end flanges spaced apart a distance to receive an associated terminal neck therein, the outer end of the shank having a driving surface thereon for engaging the rear surface of an associated terminal drive flange and a retaining finger extending longitudinally outwardly from one of the tip flanges and forwardly beyond the driving surface for engaging an associated terminal drive flange to hold the terminal drive flange against the driving surface and to hold the terminal within the slot and in driving engagement with the tip.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tip for an insertion tool of the type set forth, wherein the shank has a groove therein spaced from its outer end and angularly offset from the recess therein and connecting therewith for receiving the wire from an associated terminal during the driving of the terminal into an associated receptacle.

Further features of the invention pertain to the particular arrangement of the parts whereby the above-outlined and additional operating features thereof are attained.

The invention, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an insertion tool having thereon a tip made in accordance with and embodying tne principles of the present invention, a terminal being shown in the driving position within the tip and position above an associated receptacle prior to insertion thereinto;

FIG. 2 is a central longitudinal sectional view of a typical insertion tool with which the tip of the present invention may be usefully employed;

FIG. 3 is a side view on an enlarged scale of a tip made in accordance with the present invention and showing associated therewith in dashed lines a terminal of the type adapted to be driven thereby;

3,279,044 Patented Oct. 18, 1966 FIG. 4 is an end view of the lower end of the tip illustrated in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view of the lowermost portion of the tip of FIGS. 3 and 4 as seen in the direction of the arrows along the line 55 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a view of the lowermost portion of the tip of FIGS. 3 and 4 as seen in the direction of the arrows along the line 66 of FIG. 4, a terminal being illustrated in association therewith by dashed lines.

Although the tip of the present invention may be embodied in a simple screw-driver-like tool, i.e., on a rigid shank, the tip is most advantageously embodied in a hand tool which utilizes an operating mechanism of the spring actuated impact type such as that set forth in United States Letters Patent No. 2,774,133, and accordingly, the improved tip of the present invention will be described in conjunction with such a tool 10 which is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing.

The tool 10 is utilized to insert a terminal such as the terminal 50 illustrated in the drawings into a receptacle therefor. The terminal 50 is on the outer free end of an insulated Wire 51 including an inner metallic conductor 52 covered by a suitable electrically insulating material 53, the outer end of the wire 51 being mechanically connected to the terminal 50 and the conductor 52 being electrically connected thereto. The terminal 50 more specifically includes a barrel 54 that clampingly receives the outer end of the wire 51 therein, a neck 55 of reduced cross section which may be for example rectangular in lateral cross section, a drive flange 56 that may be circular in outline and having dimensions greater than that of the neck 55, and a tapered-end 57, the barrel 54, the neck 55, the flange 56 and the tapered-end 57 being all formed integral of an electrically conductive metal. The purpose of the tool 10 is to insert the tapered end 57 of the terminal 50 into operative connection with an associated receptacle in a connector block 60. More specifically, the connector block 60 comprises a body of electrically insulating material 61 in which are mounted a plurality of receptacles 62, each of the receptacles 62 including a resilient terminal receiving member 63, the members 63 being electrically connected whereby insertion of a pair of terminals 50 therein serves electrically to connect the respective conductors 52 thereof.

The general construction of the insertion tool 10 is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing, wherein the tool 10 is seen to comprise a hand grasp member 11, an upper housing member 12, a lower housing member 13, an intermediate housing member 14 and a plunger 16. The three housing members 12, 13 and 14 are all generally cylindrical in shape and are threadedly interconnected one to the other in general axial alignment, the housing member 13 generally being knurled as at 15 and tapering at the lower end thereof. The lower end of the housing member 13 also is provided centrally thereof with an hexagonally shaped opening 17 therethrough to receive the plunger 16 which is also hexagonally shaped in cross section so as to prevent rotation between the housing member 13 and the plunger 16 while permitting reciprocating movement of the plunger 16 within the housing member 13. Formed in the upper end of the housing member 13 is a cylindrical opening 18 into which extends the upper end of the plunger 16 as at 19, an annular plate 20 being fixedly connected to the plunger 16 and disposed Within the opening 18. The upper end of the housing member 13 is closed by a plug 21 which is threadedly connected to the housing member 13 and has an opening centrally therethrough to receive the upper end of the plunger sec tion 19.

Disposed within the intermediate housing member 14 is a hammer 22 that is slidable in a bore formed within the housing member 14 and which is pushed toward the plug 21 for normal rest thereagainst by a spring 23 disposed in the upper housing member 12 and disposed between the closed outer end thereof and the adjacent end of the hammer 22, the spring 23 continually urging the hammer 22 against the plug 21. A second spring 24 is .provided within the lower housing member 13 and disposed about the plunger section 19 and compressed between the plate 20 and the plug 21, the spring 24 serving continually to urge the plunger 16 to the outermost position thereof.

The hammer 22 has a transverse recess 25 therein which receives and contains a detent 28 provided with an opening 29 generally centrally thereof. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the upper end of the plunger portion 19 normally extends into the opening 29 and carries a shoulder 26 that engages the detent 28 when it is in the position illustrated. Furthermore there is provided a leaf spring 30 that urges the detent 28 into the position illustrated and into engagement with the shoulder 26 on the plunger 16, the spring 30 being mounted at its upper end upon the hammer 22 such as by the fastener 31. The left hand end of the detent 28 as illustrated is provided with a cam nose 32 which is adapted to engage against an inwardly directed cam surface 33 formed on the interior of the central housing section 14 adjacent to the upper end thereof.

Finally, the upper housing section 12 is provided with an outwardly extending ring 34 therearound extending outwardly therefrom against which is disposed one end of a spring 35 under compression, the other end of the spring 35 bearing against an inwardly directed flange or abutment '36 extending inwardly from the hand grasp member 11, the spring 35 being actually a test spring as will be described more fully hereinafter.

In operation, when a workman grips the hand-grasp member 11 and presses the lower end of the plunger 16 against a relatively immovable surface, the plunger 16 moves upwardly and into the lower body member 13 to compress the spring 34 therein. The shoulder 26 on the plunger 16 acting through the detent 28 also pushes the hammer 22 upwardly to compress the spring 23 and to store energy therein. When the rounded nose 32 of the detent 28 strikes the cam surface 33, the detent 28 is moved to the right against the urging of the spring 30 to clear the shoulder 26, thus to permit the upper end of the plunger 16 to enter into a'recess 37 formed in the lower end of the hammer 22. The hammer when released is driven downwardly by the energy stored in the spring 23 to deliver a sharp blow upon the upper end of the plunger 16 when it strikes the inner end of the recess 37 in the hammer 22. The energy of this impact is determined by the characteristics of the spring 23 and by the depth of the recess 37 and the opening 29. When impact occurs, the mass of the hammer 22 and the power supplied by the springs 23 and 24 will produce a sharp blow upon the plunger 16 and all parts associated therewith. Further details of construction and a further description of the operation of the tool will be found in the United States Letters Patent 2,774,133 referred to above.

I Mounted on the outer end of the plunger 16 is the improved tip 70 made in accordance with and embodying the principles of the present invention. As illustrated, the tip 70 is of generally cylindrical configuration and has extending upwardly from the upper end thereof a threaded shaft 71 which is received in a complementarily threaded opening on the outer end of the plunger 16, whereby firmly to mount the tip 70 upon the outer end of the plunger 16 so that all movements of the plunger 16 are transmitted unimpaired to the tip 70, and vice versa.

The tip 70 further comprises a generally cylindrical shank 72 which is provided with a longitudinally extending recess 73 which is adapted to receive a portion of an asso- 'ciated terminal 50, the recess 73 extending from approximately the point 74 downwardly to an end wall 75.

opposed and spaced apart end flanges 77 and 78, the end flanges 77 and 78 being spaced apart a distance to receive therethrough the neck 55 of an associated terminal 50, the slot 76 being generally rectangular in plan view as is best seen in FIG. 4 of the drawing.

The outer end of the shank 72 has a laterally extending driving surface thereon that lies in a plane substantially normal to the longitudinal axis of the tip 70'and is adapted to engage the upper surface of the drive flange 56 on an associated terminal 50 as illustrated in FIG. 3, the outline of the driving surface 80 being generally U- shaped as is best seen in FIG. 4, the shank 72 tapering downwardly and inwardly as at 79 to join the driving surface 80. It will be understood that the terminal drive flange 56 extends outwardly from the neck 55 and overlies the driving surface 80 so that driving engagement can be made between the driving surface 80 and the upper surface of the terminal drive flange 56 as viewed in FIGS. 3 and 6.

Extending longitudinally outwardly and downwardly from the outer portions of the tip flanges 77 and 78 are retaining fingers 81 and 82, respectively. As may be best seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, each of the retaining fingers 81' and 82 is provided with a longitudinally extending substantially flat abutment surface 83 and 84, respectively, that is disposed substantially perpendicular to the driving surface 80, the surfaces 83 and 84 lying substantially in the same plane disposed substantially normal to the transversely extending side of the slot 76 and disposed toward the outer ends thereof. When a terminal 50 is in the op-v erative position within the tip 70, the driving flange 56 is disposed against the driving surface 80 and the neck 55 is disposed in the slot 76; and the terminal 50 is held in this position due to the fact that the fingers 81 and 82 also engage the drive flange 56 to prevent inadvertent movement of the terminal 50, and specifically the neck 55, outwardly from the slot 76. The longitudinal extent of the fingers 81 and 82 is preferably substantially greater than the thickness of the associated drive flange 56 on a terminal 50 so that slight longitudinal shifting of the terminal 50 with respect to the tip 70 will not dislodge the terminal 50 from the slot 76 in the tip 70.

When utilizing the tool 10 with the tip 70 thereon to drive a terminal 50 into an associated receptacle 62, the terminal 50 is first positioned in the tip 70 as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3 and 6. More specifically, the user positions the neck 55 of the terminal 50 in general lateral alignment with the slot 76 and with the drive flange 56 disposed just slightly beyond the outer ends of the fingers 81 and 82. The terminal 50 is then moved laterally into the slot 76 until the neck 55 is fully seated in the slot 76, which movement of the terminal 50 also will place the drive flange 56 behind the fingers 81 and 82, i.e., to the left thereof as viewed in FIG. 6. The terminal 50 is then moved upwardly axially until the drive flange 56 seats against the driving surface 80. The receptacle 50 is now in the drive position with respect to the tip 70 and will be readily held therein fundamentally due to the pro .vision of the fingers 81 and 82 thereon which prevent in- The user then places the tapered end 57 of the terminal 50 in an associated receptacle 62 as illustrated in FIG. 1 and grips the hand-grasp portion 11 of the tool 10. The hand-grasp portion 11 is then urged downwardly as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2 and acting through the ring 34 urges the various housing members 12, 13 and 14 downwardly also. Such downward movement of the housing members causes the plug 21 to move downward- 1y tending to compress the spring 24 and this also causes the hammer 22 to move upwardly with respect to the housing members to compress the spring 23, it being pointed out that the detent 28 is in engagement with the shoulder 26 on the plunger 16. When the detent nose 32 reaches the cam surface 33, the detent 28 will be moved to the right as viewed in FIG. 2 against the urging of the spring 30 to disengage the shoulder 26 and thus to release the hammer 22 which moves downwardly under the urging of the spring 23 to strike the upper end of the plunger 16 and with the assistance of the energy stored in the spring 24 to impart a blow of predetermined force to the plunger 16. The blow applied to the plunger 16 is transmitted through the tip 70 and the driving surface 80 to the terminal 50 through the drive flange 56, whereby to drive the terminal 50 into the associated receptacle 62.

If necessary, a plurality of blows may be imparted to the terminal 50 by simply repeating the above described operation of the tool 10. When the user is of the opinion that the terminal 50 has been suificiently driven into the receptacle 62, he can test the adequacy of the driving operation by simply pulling upwardly on the hand-grasp member 11. In pulling upwardlyin this fashion, a predetermined pulling force is applied to the terminal 50 transmitted thereto as follows. The hand-grasp member 11 and, specifically the inwardly directed flange 36 thereof, tends to compress the spring 35 and urges it against the ring 34 to transmit the lifting force to the upper body member 12. This lifting force is transmitted through the body members 13 and 14 to the plate 20 that is fixedly connected to the plunger 16. The plunger 16 is in turn fixedly connected to the tip 70 and the end wall 75 of the tip 70 engages the barrel 54 on the terminal 50, it being pointed out that the dimensions of the barrel 54 are greater than those of the slot 76 in the end wall 75, whereby the pulling force from the tip 70 is applied through the barrel 54 to the terminal 50. The force applied in this test procedure is determined by the character of the spring 35. If the terminal 50 remains seated in the receptacle 62 upon the application of the test pulling force, then the terminal is considered to be fully driven; should the terminal 50 pull out of the receptacle 62, then the terminal 50 is simply redriven in the manner described in detail above. If the terminal 50 withstands the test pulling force, then the tool is simply shifted laterally to withdraw the neck 55 from the slot 76, such movement being possible due to the fact that the fingers 81 and 82 will have been lifted above the drive flange 56 during the test 6 pulling operation and will no longer hold the terminal in the slot 76.

From the above it will be seen that there has been provided an improved tip for a terminal inserting tool which fulfills all of the objects and advantages set forth above. While there has been described what is at present considered to be the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that various modifications may be made therein, and it is intended to cover in the appended claim all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

A tip for a tool for inserting a terminal in a receptacle therefor wherein the terminal includes a relative narrow neck and a tapered end and a relatively wide drive flange disposed between the neck and the tapered end, said tip comprising a shank having at its outer end a terminal receiving longitudinal recess therein extending to an end Wall thereon, a slot extending through said end wall coaxially connecting with said recess and forming terminal engaging end flanges spaced apart a distance to receive an associated terminal neck therein, the outer end of said shank having a driving surface thereon for engaging the rear surface of an associated terminal drive flange, and a pair of retaining fingers extending longitudinally respectively from said tip flanges and forwardly beyond said driving surface, said retaining fingers being disposed on the opposite sides of said slot and disposed radially outwardly and adjacent to the entrance thereto, said retaining fingers having abutment surfaces thereon respectively disposed inwardly toward the longitudinal axis of said recess for engaging the edge of an associated terminal drive flange, said retaining fingers through the engagement of said abutment surfaces with the edge of an associated drive flange serving to hold the associated terminal within said slot and said recess and to hold the associated terminal drive flange against said driving surface, whereby to hold said terminal in driving engagement with said tip.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,976,608 3/1961 Busler 29254 3,010,193 11/1961 Croall et al 29278 3,074,155 1/1963 Cootes et a1. 29254 X 3,177,952 4/1965 West 173121 WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

MY'RON C. KRUSE, Examiner. 

